Number of open recalls skyrockets 30 percent in one year

YONKERS, New York (WABC) -- The numbers aren't pretty; nearly 64 million cars, nationwide are driving our country's highways with potentially dangerous open recalls. But, it's fast, easy, and free to get your car on the road to recovery.

A startling one in four people are driving a car with an open recall. That's a potentially dangerous defect, from faulty air bags to electronic switches that could catch fire. 7 On Your Side has the results of CARFAX's exclusive survey, announcing the amount of open recalls in our area has skyrocketed, up 30% in just one year.

It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Almost every time our CARFAX contact ran a car's plate number they found dangerous defects that hadn't been fixed.

"Open recalls really need to be acted on as quickly as possible," Larry Gamache, CARFAX.

Stew Leonard's busy Yonkers parking lot was the setting for our recall round-up. Using CARFAX's free app we simply punched in plate numbers and ran down recalls, literally.

7 On Your Side found double trouble for a Honda Civic. It had two open air bag recalls.

The owner of a Toyota Rav 4 said he knew for more than a year about his car's two recalls, but put off fixing a faulty switch problem.

"They're actually being recalled because in some situations they can cause a fire," Gamache said.

A serious seat belt recall was also found.

"In the event of an accident there's a piece here that can actually sever the webbing," Gamache said.

The belt was seen holding in one man's grand-daughter.

"Unfortunately, I'm like a lot of other people and I don't find time to do it, but I should," said Daryl Kowal, a car owner.

In our area alone, CARFAX says there are nearly three million cars on the road with open recalls. That's a number that's rising steadily.

"(It's a) combination of both manufacturers letting people know about them and, unfortunately, consumers not acting to get them fixed as quickly as they really should," Gamache said.

Rose Moran thinks she threw the notice out with junk mail, but she got the message now. She was on her way to Nissan to fix her Sentra's faulty battery connection.

Checking to see if your car is subject to a recall is free. You can do it two ways:

https://www.carfax.com/recall

https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls